Farmoor interlude

28 Sept - I called into Farmoor this afternoon, and a Red-necked Grebe (2) was present giving good comparisons with Great crested Grebes (1), showing its dumpy profile and shorter reddish neck, with black cap and yellow-based bill (3-4). A very obliging Ringed Plover(5-8) was along the causeway together with 3 flighty Common Sandpipers. Photos JM.

Mallorca 24-27 Sept 2014

3 days in Mallorca courtesy of my friend Mandy's 50th birthday.......and that's the end of the travelling for a while. Weather mixed, with thunder followed by a couple of sunny days. Albufera marsh was quieter than it is in spring, with the cacophany of Warblers - the scrapes contained passage waders, including 8 Spotted Redshanks and 8 Greenshanks - also Dunlin and Snipe. 2 Glossy Ibis and a Great White Egret also on the scrape, and numerous Marsh Harriers including juveniles hunting over the reedbed. Pollensa bay contained the usual flock of Audouin's Gulls, always a stunning bird, and a boat trip to Formentor peninsula found 14 Cory's Shearwaters, and wonderful views of Eleonora's Falcons around the cliffs including family parties, both pale and dark phase. Night and Purple Herons were around Pollensa and Albufera, and a visit to Salinas de Levante en route to the airport produced more waders on passage including 25 smart Spotted Redshanks, together with 10 Ruff, 7 Little Stints, 2 Curlew Sandpipers and 3 Greenshank, as well as Kentish and Ringed Plovers. Boquer valley at Pollensa was magical on the last morning, with Spotted Flycatchers, Redstarts, Firecrests and 2 Hoopoes,with more Eleonora's Falcons and a pale phase Booted Eagle near Pollensa. Surprisingly warm still in Sept, and a perfect Sept destination. Photos JM.

A few Scottish birds.......

20 Sept - a few Scottish specialities seen during a couple of days of Munro bagging, in good weather in the central /west Highlands around Corrour - a total of 12 Ptarmigan, in several family groups, on the summit ridges - a couple of migrant Golden Plover - a migrant Ring Ouzel - a Dipper on a fast-flowing river, together with a Grey Wagtail - a flyover Snipe on the bogs - and 2 skeins of migrating Pink-footed Geese arriving from the NW after their flight from Iceland, an evocative sight with their wild calling filling the glen. Crossbills were calling in several patches of woodland.

Back to normal.....

Sep 14 - Back to routine after the Ornithological extravaganza of the last week, with a Hobby seen feeding over CWP pit 74 early afternoon, probably a juvenile given the fairly late date. The Indian summer continues, though without the intensity of the Spanish sun.

If it's mid September it must be Tarifa..........

12-13 Sept - My annual raptor fix, 2 days at Tarifa.......westerly winds, and the raptor passage has been quiet this week, but good numbers of birds seen at Algarrobo watchpoint.....during the 2 days, over a hundred each of Short-toed and Booted Eagles and Honey buzzards, passing in mixed flocks, progressively higher as the day warmed up so mornings best for good views. Also seen, Egyptian Vulture and Black Stork, as well as the commoner species such as Black Kite. Alpine Swifts were passing in numbers, something I haven't seen in previous years, but every year is different. La Janda rice fields were productive as usual - Montagu's (juvs) and Marsh Harriers, together with 2 Black-winged Kites and a few Lesser Kestrels. Glossy Ibis again present this year alongside White Storks and a variety of Herons. An area I hadn't previously visited was Barbate lagoons, which were a highlight with no less than 64 Audouin's Gulls and a Caspian Tern the highlight, along with 8 Greater Flamingoes. Commoner waders here included Redshank and Greenshank, Whimbrel and Black-tailed Godwit on passage, alongside the resident Black-winged Stilts. I could only manage a single Cory's Shearwater off Los Lances beach in misty conditions, and the disturbance here meant there was little to be seen apart from Kentish Plover and Sanderling, and a few Sandwich Terns. Another excellent brief visit to the Strait of Gibraltar, and after this week's birding travel I will be going back to work for a rest!